Functional genomics—the deconstruction of the genome to determine the biological function of genes and gene interactions—is one of the most fruitful new areas of biology. The growing use of DNA microarrays allows researchers to assess the expression of tens of thousands of genes at a time. This quantitative change has led to qualitative progress in our ability to understand regulatory processes at the cellular level.

This book provides a systematic introduction to the use of DNA microarrays as an investigative tool for functional genomics. The presentation is appropriate for readers from biology or bioinformatics. After presenting a framework for the design of microarray-driven functional genomics experiments, the book discusses the foundations for analyzing microarray data sets, genomic data-mining, the creation of standardized nomenclature and data models, clinical applications of functional genomics research, and the future of functional genomics.